Tag Archives: peace

Have you ever woken up and realised that you’re not worn out because you didn’t get enough sleep, or because you’ve spent too many hours at the gym, but because your mind has been thinking of a thousand problems at once and each one remains unsolved?

This is how problems generally work in my life:

1. I realise problem ‘x’ exists

2. I rack my brain to produce a plan a, scrap plan b, only to conclude plans l-m-n-o and p won’t work either

3. I think about giving ‘x’ to God to resolve but I haven’t touched base with him in so long I’m uncertain he’s able to make it better

4. I stress-well actually I secretly stress. I go on through life as normal and try and push problem x to the furthest point in my mind whilst my subconscious brain continues to think of solutions, and decide those solutions won’t work, so thinks of some more in a hopeless cycle

5. I despair

6. I run back to Jesus. I don’t even care if he fixes things, I just want to be living under his wing, trusting that he’ll give me the strength to feel at peace in the midst of whatever storm has been raining on my parade.

Reading that, you’d wonder why I didn’t just run back to Jesus in the first place. Why try to figure things out on your own when you know you’re going to find your senses and come back to God in the end? There is a reason. Actually in fairness, there are many reasons, but they all begin with one…

I will tell you a secret. Not many people know what I’m about to share so brace yourself. I am quite proud. Not in the sense that I think I’m better than people, I’m just confident in my abilities to the extent that I rarely (every bone in my body fights against) ask for help. I might even think the person offering to help would do a better job than I could but I’m too proud to admit that, and the mere thought that I could do it myself even if it does take me twice as long, means all help is rejected and the thought of asking for it is ludicrous. I know what you’re thinking-

“Even when the person your asking is God?!”Yes.

So this has been one of those weeks. I know I can’t possibly solve all the issues life has presented me with, but I hate to admit defeat so much, I have ran away, instead of toward the God that can make it all better. I’m not saying God is a wizard, he’s definitely not a genie in a bottle that grants all of your wishes, but he does give you the ability to overcome every kink and disruption to this journey of life.

Today I admit defeat. I admit that I need God and that life is only worth living when it revolves around him. I haven’t the energy to keep running away so I’ll stop.

Cast your burdens unto Jesus for he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

When you give your problems to Jesus, it’s not that they immediately disappear and life returns to perfection, but that weight from constantly trying to find a solution is lifted, along with all of the stress it brought. Nobody said being a Christian would be a breeze, but Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

If you, like me, woke up realising you had been trying to fight a war all by yourself, take the best advice you’ll ever get. Give all your worries to Jesus, who cares for you and wants you to be free. The stress just isn’t worth it.

Today marks 7 days since innocent holiday makers were shot and killed as part of yet another ISIS attack.

I woke up this morning and the air was thick with distinct rage and an overwhelming sense of despair due to the blood that was spilled on a Sousse beach in Tunisia. As the injured lose the battle for their lives in Tunisian hospitals, and the briefly missing are identified, we have watched the death toll rise, and with it, our outrage at the injustice of the attack. Most of us are caught between a rock and a hard place, as we desire to do something, anything, that will ‘help’ but there doesn’t seem to be a way for our wills to become reality. There’s no collection to donate to that will bring back lost lives, no clock that can be turned back to stop this all from happening, and no consolation we can give to those who have lost their loved ones.

Today, we will have a minute’s silence for all those who fall victim to the ongoing war on terror.

I won’t deny my dissatisfaction! Yes, I will say a prayer for all the victims’ loved ones, that regardless of their faith, the Holy Spirit will be their comforter, but I can’t shake the feeling that I am not doing enough. I have never believed in purgatory (I can’t find evidence of it in my Bible) so I have struggled to come to finally accept that there is nothing I can do for the dead. Nothing. Since hearing breaking news on Thailand, I have spent my time pondering the shocking reminder of the transient nature of life, not paying attention to the fact that all those who have left us will either be resting in perfect peace with Christ or not, and now, from Earth, there is no way to influence where there souls will spend eternity.

People die every day. That is a fact. They are snatched from us by people claiming to be fighting ‘holy wars’, ill health, old age and by a heap of natural disasters. We can spend our time focusing on the lives that have been cut short, the opportunity withdrawn for some, to marry, have kids, or even celebrate their 18th birthdays, but we are ignoring the pressing reminder that in their passing, their fate for heaven/h… not-Heaven (just typing it gives me chills), has been finalised, and no amount of praying can change that.

Today, I will do something.

There’s a chilling finality to death, but death brings whole new opportunities if we come into contact with Christ before we pass. A lot of us Christians are shocked because the increasing death toll is the alarm bell ringing we don’t have the time to be ineffectual and lukewarm in our faith. Death is snatching lives all the time; will you fight for another life getting to see God when they pass? How much do we believe that God loves all, and simultaneously God hates sin? How much do we care that judgement is inescapable. No, we cannot prevent deaths, but there is a war to be had and souls are in need of being won.

Today I am ready for battle

What stands out amidst the terror that has been painstakingly revealed as victims recant their stories, is the courage shown by some, the determination to live and to protect the lives of loved ones. Sarea Wilson told of how her husband-to-be stood between her and three bullets so she could have the chance to escape. The lengths he went to to save her life are astounding.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

I’m not suggesting you need to lay down your life for people to find Christ, but what are you willing to do differently? Oh, the plethora of cop-out excuses for why we can’t evangelise, which the thought of sends shudders down many a spine, but is simply sharing the love of Christ. Evangelism has almost become a dated aspect of our faith that we’re ignoring until someone comes up with a full-proof method for minimal embarrassment, but, until then, aren’t we just wasting time?

When I speak to Christians about evangelism, they’re always emphasising that by living a Christlike life, they are evangelising, so they shouldn’t need to hit the streets with flyers and a soapbox. What did Jesus do? Yes, he developed relationships with people and evangelised through his lifestyle, but that didn’t stop him from speaking out in public, and gathering crowds of thousands of people to hear the good news. We use ‘actions speak louder than words’ to get out of speaking to people about Christ but our inaction of speaking up, has left the message of Christ’s love that we are trying to live out, almost inaudible.

What is stopping us from taking evangelism seriously?

If we say we love Christ, we must have a love for our others. How long will we stay mute because we don’t want to offend or because we don’t want to seem strange? If we don’t care to see the world come to Christ, or aren’t actively involved in spreading the Good News, the world can only question how great this God really is, that we claim to serve. Maybe it’s that we’ve strayed so far from God, telling someone about him is the last thing on our minds. Yes we attend church, we might even serve in a ministery, but have we lost that life-changing connection with Christ, that we once had? That connection that causes you to wake up excited to pray and makes you want to savour every second you spend in God’s presence. After all, how can you see the lack of Christ in someone’s life when you don’t notice the lack of his presence in your own? I can personally connect with that reason. Of course I’ve forgotten that the world needs Christ when I’ve forgotten that I need him too.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Today I will use every opportunity I can get

We become so self-centred in our Christianity, rating our growth in Christ by whether we can prophecy to our congregations and heal the sick, but the love we have for God has got to cause us to want to see the souls around us saved. Acceptance of others’ lifestyle choices has become silently watching, with the justification that everyone has their own belief, and we don’t have a right to make them feel like ours hold more truth than theirs. We cannot live this way anymore. Christ said, “I am the way, the truth and the light, no-one can come to the father except through me.” You might be surrounded with really lovely and kind atheists, but let’s not belittle their need for Christ based on our judgement that they are ‘good’ people.

Today, I am ready to fight for someone else’s life

I hereby declare that I will wear my Christianity loud and proud, fighting the war that has been waged with love and prayer, actively seeking opportunities to tell somebody about my King, my best friend, my main squeeze, the one who has kept me sane and loved me when I didn’t love myself.

If a man held a gun to your head and asked you if you were a Christian, what would you say?

Now, of course the “right” answer was to scream “I LOVE YOU JESUS” and suffer the unspeakable consequences but over a decade has passed and I’m still yet to decide what I’d do simply because I never really show up in moments of panic, I freeze and scream internally until the moment of panic passes. Also, I believe that hypothetical responses are rarely indicative of what one will do when faced with the situation. This question came to mind this morning and although I still do not have an answer, it always causes me to think more deeply about life, what I am willing to die for and more importantly, what I am living for.

“They say ‘you only live once’ but what are you living for?”

I let my Mum use my Facebook yesterday and it was fascinating watching her read through my newsfeed; she could not understand why the people I knew felt comfortable sharing such intimate moments of their lives online. When she asked me why, the cynic within me arose:

“Mum, people want to show other people how happy and content they are, even if that means giving 500+ people access to the most sacred moments life offers.”

As I was saying this, I realised that most of us are living for the applause. We are living for the ‘likes’, the moments where others validate our actions. We carefully choose what we will reveal online in order to create what we feel will be the perfect image. Underneath the façade lies the real; the real moments of pain, confusion, frustration, anger, happiness and joy.

Although we cannot pick and choose the moments that God sees, we act as though He isn’t watching 24/7. We spend more time choosing filters on Instagram than filtering out the negative parts of lives and we spend more time controlling the way others view us than we do allowing God to take control and fix the broken parts of our lives – the parts that aren’t picturesque enough for the online world.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Hebrews 4:13

One of things I enjoy most about being a Christian is the fact that I am forced to have honest conversations with God. I can’t lie and I can’t pretend that everything is okay when it isn’t. He sees right through the façade because He sees all. When I have no words to say, He still hears the pain I feel or the joy I don’t know how to express.

God sees.

My challenge to you today is to live each moment in light of the fact that God sees. I don’t want you to think of Him as a judgemental, domineering presence which seeks to dictate your every action and can’t wait to punish you, but as a loving Father (Isaiah 64:8), who is interested, concerned (Luke 12:7) and full of love for you (1 John 3:1).

EVERYBODY PAUSE! No, I do not want to know about activities that wouldn’t make it into a PG film. Firstly, that would be awkward! Secondly, what you do in the comfort of your home with your spouse isn’t my business. Thirdly…EW!!!!

I shall re-phrase: Have you ever been so deeply in love, with a person of the opposite sex, that you think a small part of the reason your heart beats, is so you can be with them? Ok, maybe that’s too much, but you get the idea. I’m not talking about the butterflies you get when good looking people cross your path. I don’t mean the joy that washes over you when you realise that you’ve clicked with someone, and it could potentially turn into something that makes all the people who aren’t in relationships, (I’m a permanent member of this club), want to find ‘their other half’.

“Ever been in love?” Well, I for one can answer no. We don’t have enough time to talk about my boy issues (in a nutshell I’m awkward and probably have a slight complex). Pretty certain I’m not in this club alone. I’m even going to hedge a bet that most people reading will have answered no. (Congrats for all you who answered ‘yes’, if you still are in love, I hope it’s a long happy relationship that turns into marriage and produces beautiful babies). For those of who you answered no, just humour me while I briefly live out my dream of becoming a psychologist for the day. I’d like you to take a moment to ponder: ‘How do you feel about that?

I’ll go first.

Up until this year I was scared. Not scared enough to start joining Christian dating sites advertised on the tube (let me know if that works, anyone who’s tried). I was so mildly scared I didn’t even realise the fear. But it was there.Constantly. Since I first learned what marriage meant I’ve had this niggling question that rears its head every now and again and gives me a fright:

What if I NEVER get married?

Growing up in a land where “I can’t believe your single” is woven in amongst the variety of chat up lines that don’t deserve reactions, eventually you start to wonder…

‘Why AM I single?’

‘Am I SUPPOSED to be in a relationship?’

There’s only so long you can blame singleness on the lack of viable male candidates, before you start questioning your part to play in the issue.

I should probably say now that by the end of this post, you will not have gained a magic tip to securing the spouse. Sorry! What I want to address is the constant desire to be in a relationship. Before you start hurling scriptures at me I’m one step ahead of ya!

He that finds a wife, finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

Despite contrary belief, this scripture justifies wanting to meet someone and do the whole love thing, it however, in NO way ,justifies an insatiable desire to have a ring put on it, at all costs. The Bible speaks of a plethora of blessings and great things that we should claim i.e wisdom, peace, provision. Why is it that we’ve placed such a high value on tying the knot that it consumes our thoughts and we won’t feel fulfilled if we stay single?

Disclaimer: I haven’t become so bitter about being alone that I want everyone to live a life of singledom and ready meals for one.

All I want is for you to think about why it is, that you want the things you desire? My fear came from a place of wanting to be taken care of. Not in a gold-digger-esque fashion. I just wanted to be looked after, and made to feel special. I imagine it’s nice knowing that someone loves you.

Everything changed this year when I realised that I was scared about not getting married because I didn’t think there was any other way I could have these experiences.

Being taken care of, feeling special, knowing that I’m loved, didn’t seem quite within my reach if not attached to a six-footed, blessed with good teeth, man. Suddenly the penny dropped. I want all these things, but I have God. I lift my hands on a Sunday and open my mouth to sing that Christ is enough for me and yet do I really believe it?

I’ll admit, I do look forward to one day jumping on-board #Team Married, but that desire has stopped coming from a place of NEEDING completion. If I never get married then so what? (No babies, no white dress, but so?) I always tell God, if I’m never rich that’s ok. If I never get to work in my dream job, that’s ok. As long as I have you Lord, I am more than ok. If Christ is enough for you, you won’t need a mere human to feel loved and special and whole.

You will never be that person left on the shelf, because Christ chose you first. He loved you first and died for you before you could even say I love you too.

I might never get wed, but I’ll have lived having the best relationship known to mankind.

If you’re anything like me, you probably struggle to keep your mouth shut.

How can you be a pushover if you’ve got a big mouth, you say? Keep reading!

I am honest to a fault; I say what I think, as I’m thinking it because I just have this deep desire to express myself. I say what’s on my mind without really considering the aftermath, which often has…unusual consequences. Although I’m not intentionally malicious, my lack of tact means I often come across as callous (sad face) and there have been (many) times (probably still happening) where my words have been insensitive and have hurt people.

As a result of past experiences I have learnt to carefully consider my words before I say them; these days I speak so slowly you’ll sometimes catch my face and hands frozen in agony as I try to find the best way to articulate a contentious point without hurting your feelings. It is tiresome and I savour the moments I’m around people who just get me and never get offended. It has become easier to stay silent, even about the things that matter. These days, when people offend/hurt me, I tend to swallow my hurt or more recently, tell the person how I feel about the situation… in my head. I tell them how hurt and angry I am and they apologise; we have the confrontation, we fight it out and everything is okay…in my head. In real life, I never actually say how I feel.

The problem with not speaking as much/having mental confrontations is that people are always going to do things that hurt and offend us – it’s a part of life. I can mentally confront them all I want, if I do not speak out,the person will never know what they’ve done and is therefore more likely to repeat the offence. Furthermore, the longer our emotions are allowed to fester in our minds, the more dire the offence feels, increasing the likelihood that we will explode (like I did this week).

Did someone say ‘conundrum’!?!

This week, I wrote a step-by-step guide to having healthy and happy confrontations. This was written after a few (real and dreadful) arguments that took place this week due to my lack of communication and inability to articulate my feelings. After apologising to everyone I had exploded upon, I thought to myself, “enough is enough Joy, you need to find a way to confront people without being a meanie”. So here it is!

I included some hyperlinks. Click them, they are so fun. Sorry, I’m being geeky (again)

1. Think carefully first

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

James 1:19

An old friend used to say ‘Joy, that’s how you feel but that’s not what’s real’. It used to annoy me and at the time I felt as though he was dismissing my feelings but in hindsight, his words were quite profound. You can feel deeply about something, you can be angry and upset about it, but it is just a feeling. The same thing could happen next year and because you don’t ‘feel’ the same way about it, you may not even react. (<<<My last sentence should put into perspective how transitory our emotions can be). We can’t always act on our feelings because although our feelings are valid, meaningful and in some way linked to a real incident, they are in no way objective measures and therefore cannot be relied upon fully when making decisions. Think rationally before you purse a discussion and try to separate what you know to be true from how you feel. Sleep on it, you might feel differently in the morning.

2. Submit the problem to God

This step is key. Sometimes we are offended because our ego has been bruised, not necessarily because we have been wronged. More often than not, we need God to settle our spirits, help us to see where we could have done things differently and give us a fresh perspective on the situation. Imagine if we are actually the ones in the wrong (which is usually the case with me) and we are going in with guns, guns, guns only to have the person take the guns we brought to the scene and shoot us? After talking to God about the problem you may not even need to move on it; that conversation may be enough as he may give you peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Sidebar: I’ve used this step in isolation quite a few times – I’ve prayed about it and ‘forgiven’ the person without actually confronting them. The first time I did it I thought I was so Christian, so cool and so saved until the person sent me a text to find out how I was (obviously oblivious to the argument we had been having in my head) and I started remembering how grieved I was. This was not true forgiveness. Forgiveness means we no longer dwell on the wrong and it no longer has the capacity to move our emotions – it should be as though it never happened.

3. Pray for the person who hurt you

Yeah, I know, sounds a bit random and rather difficult given that you’re annoyed at them but I think we often avoid confronting people because we are afraid of what their reactions could be: what if they shout at us? What if they stop talking to us? What if they think we are weak?

I think we should begin to pray ahead of tough conversations and ask God to soften the recipient’s heart and make them open to our words. As we pray for them we should also pray that God would give us words that which will cause minimal damage but also allow us to honestly say how we feel.

4. Don’t text about it

Texts weren’t created for long and emotional conversations (which is why the creation of emojis was so revolutionary – people could ‘hear’ us better). We have no voice when texting and the person can only hear what you’re saying in the way that they believe you’re saying it, which often has disastrous consequences. For example:

I’m tired of this (angry, fed up, ready to move on)

I’m tired of this (exhausted, sad, willing to move forward)

Text distortion is real; the same words can be received very differently depending on how the recipient feels.

I have had countless (stupid) arguments over text because it was easier than calling the person and discussing how I felt. Never again. I am now in the business of building bridges, not burning them, thus emotional discussions are given the appropriate time and setting. If you can’t meet, use Skype or FaceTime for my fellow iPhone users; if you have no Wi-Fi, just call. I know it’s easier to hide behind text and not let the other person see how hurt you are and hear your voice crack with emotion when you say certain words, but this may be the difference between moving back and moving forward.

5. Speak in the way you’d like to be spoken to

God knows how hypocritical I feel writing that step as I’m still practising how to implement it; I am the queen of speaking in anger and regretting it two minutes later. My childhood nickname was ‘time bomb’ coz no one knew when I’d explode. Realising that anger is usually just sadness and disappointment in disguise helps to change the way you address someone who has hurt you. Instead of speaking in rage, you can speak honestly about the hurt you’re experiencing because of what they have done. Be sure to taste your words before you say them. When I knew I couldn’t be trusted to consider another’s feelings during a confrontation I would write down my thoughts, read them over and build it into something I could say to them face-to-face. It helped massively.

6. Let it go

This is the hardest step. After you’ve said your piece, that’s it, it is over. Mentally replaying the conversation over and over won’t change what was said. At this point it is important ask God to heal whatever was broken during the process (from the time of offence to the end of the last conversation) and to close your wounds fully so that they can never be reopened.

It’s over. Forgive them. I repeat: this is the hardest step. Forgiveness is not lording their transgression over their head and reminding them at every opportunity that they are the reason for your pain, forgiveness is accepting an apology you may not have gotten and moving forward, with or without them.

I Repeat: Hardest Step

And there you have it, my step-by-step guide to confronting people. What do you think? Is there anything you would do differently? Let me know in the comments section!

Reading this book is genuinely one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long while. Those who know me, know I generally don’t give Christian books the time of day, just because I question what they could possibly have to say that I can’t read in my Bible. To my fellow sceptic, Christian Books are not the enemy . If ‘Battlefield of the Mind’ is anything to go by, they aren’t adding anything to scripture, they are merely explaining what the Bible says and giving their own interpretation. Basically a sermon that you read. Anyway, I’m rambling but I just wanted to say thank you God for allowing me to discover the blessing that can be found in reading the words of those that walk with you also, and thank you Joyce Meyer for writing such an amazing book.

What I learnt about the mind: Why mind control, why me?

I’ve always knows that what goes on in the mind is important, but Joyce has opened my eyes to just how HUGELY important it is. First of all, Joyce highlights that the mind is where the devil will attack us. I know we don’t like to think about the devil but the devil is just as real as God and as soon as you decided to root for #Team-Jesus, you and the devil became enemies. Is this scaring you? I hope not, but if you are feeling a slight chill, you’ll appreciate just how important it is to know how to win the battlefield of the mind. We learn that the devil puts strongholds in our minds; these are lies that he’s told us that we’ve bought into and are now affecting what we believe and how we act. However, our three spiritual weapons are: The Word, praise, and prayer. Really it all comes down to knowing God’s word to the point of being able to say it back to him. As Joyce puts it “God’s word and our need is the basis which we come to him.” Still with me? I shall summarise.

There’s a battle, it’s you against the devil and it’s being fought in your mind. The devil comes with his A-Game trying to attack you with strongholds that he places in your mind. Your weapons are the very words of God.

What I learnt about myself: I have a judgemental mind.

After explaining the importance of the mind and were our mind is at, Joyce shares about different states of the mind that are not of God. Eventually I found mine…

Do you ever exhibit Judgement, Hateration, or come to conclusions about people? However you want to put it, it’s not okay! There’s something about seeing your issue in black and white that makes you want to do something about it. Here’s the diagnosis:

We judge people because we think we’re better than them.

That’s a bit hard to stomach isn’t it?! Simply put ‘Judgement and criticism are fruit of a deeper problem-pride’ EEK! Using Romans 12:3 which tells us quite simply not to get gassed (think too much of ourselves) Joyce highlights that when we have an exaggerated opinion of ourselves, it causes us to look down on others and value them as ‘less than’ us. Needless to say, this is not good.

The fact that we haven’t sinned doesn’t make us special

Galatians 6:1-3 Says that we’re supposed to help people that have gone off track without any sense of superiority. We are supposed to carry each other’s burdens and whilst helping them, be mindful that we don’t get tempted to join them in the sin. If we’re so busy gossiping about people’s problems and ostracising people because we’re shocked at the sins they’ve committed we’ll forget to offer the helping hand to pull them out of it. We are one body in Christ. Imagine if every time a part of us was sick the heart just stopped pumping blood to that region so that it eventually lost all connection with the body and died. Sounds so ridiculous but that’s what we do to ourselves when we judge instead of showing love. Instead, when we hurt ourselves our body pumps extra blood there and starts fixing itself. I know I’ve just given you a very badly remembered version of GCSE Biology but you catch my drift I hope.

Judging brings condemnation

Not to them, but to you! Judging others is literally like praying ‘return to sender prayers’ on yourself. For all the non-Africans reading, it’s like cursing yourself then saying, whoever curses me shall be cursed, but you were doing the cursing so it’s all coming back to you. Do you get it, or have I just confused you? Romans 2:1 says we shouldn’t judge others because in doing so we condemn ourselves. I hope that makes what I was trying to say clear. There’s just no benefit in criticising others and if this is where your mind is at, don’t accept it as ‘ok’ or ‘just another part of your personality.’ We need to use The Word to fight against the judgemental thoughts that creep in!

What I bet you didn’t know: Mind control 101

Your mind at its normal state should be peaceful

We’re so used to thinking a hundred things at once that we’ve become desensitised to it, but this is not a safe land to live in. God wants your attention and to give you the guidance you NEED to live life. How are you supposed to hear him over all the other voices competing for your time?

Your mind and your spirit have to be aligned

So here’s what I gathered. The Holy Spirit is trying to communicate God’s message to us. He deposits it in our spirit, and then in order for us to understand what that message is practically, our mind and our spirit have to be aligned ( in one accord, speaking the same language, basically both besties with God and the things of God).

Reasoning won’t get you anywhere

For someone who loves breaking down arguments and just generally thinking, this was a bit of a shocker. What I think is important is that we don’t try and use human logic to understand scripture but instead allow the Holy Spirit to give us the interpretation. This does make sense, because it’s so easy to dismiss what God’s saying because we don’t think understand it, but He is the same God who told Abraham to kill Isaac, and then not to kill him because He wanted to see if Abraham would obey him. You don’t always have to get why God is asking, just be willing to obey.

Doubt, unbelief, and disobedience are inter-connected

In a nutshell: Faith is the ultimate. Doubt puts you in two minds about the things you should be certain of. Once you’re uncertain you can go down a slippery slope that leads to unbelief and once you’re there, you disobey. (=BAD)

The only good thing about worry is the weight-loss

I half joke, but in all seriousness worry adds nothing. It can’t make you taller, put food on the table or pay your bills so why bother? Save your time and pray about the things that bring you stress!

Should you read?

This book is perfect for anyone who is Christian and has thoughts. In other words, yes! Purchase! Joyce beautifully unpacks The Word and directs you to the scriptures that will prepare you for the battlefield of the mind. I couldn’t possibly write all the things I’ve learnt in one post; grab your own copy so that you can learn how to fight your own battle. If we’re going to fight, we might as well fight to win.

The Lord gives strength to his people and blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 34:14

Turn from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it

Psalm 37:37

Consider the blameless, observe the upright, a future awaits those who seek peace

Sometimes we look at life and all we can see is all types of crazy. You know when you feel like you’re rushing around but nothing seems to get done, and you’re telling God to order your steps but you’ve been walking around for ages and now you can’t even tell if you’ve been moving forward. It’s not always as bad as one step forward, two steps back, but sometimes it’s one step, for..or was it back.. no maybe it was sideways, that gets you feeling dizzy. Things need to happen but you don’t know ‘what first?’ And even if you figure that out, you’re then met with ‘what next?’

So you can picture it, you’re stressed and to make matters worse all your friends keep telling you is; ‘take deep breaths,’ or, ‘sleep on it,’ or, ‘tomorrow will be better than today.’ And you nod and you smile all the while thinking: why? Why will it be better? What’s going to make tomorrow glorious when today has just been abysmal?!

We serve a God who calls himself the Prince of Peace. Now if you’re #Team-Jesus that makes you his child, so you may not be a prince or princess of peace but you’re at least in the royal lineage of the peace family. Psalm 29:11 says that The Lord gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace. Simple addition tells us that you’re not only in the royal peace family, but God has given his word that you’re blessed with peace. At this point you’ve really got to take two seconds out to think…all this peace related ish, and yet all I can feel is the stress of the storm. Where is my peace at?!?!

We easily get caught up in all the good things God is saying he’s going to do for us and forget what part we’re supposed to be playing. Both Psalm 34 and Psalm 37 tell us to seek peace. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all my fellow #Team-wishing-we-weren’t-so-lazy, but receiving this peace really requires an action. It’s no mistake that both versus say we should do good and not evil and consider the upright (those living the right way), before telling us to seek peace.

How can we calm down the crazy?…by acting sane. And not in that earthly ‘seems like the right thing to do,’ way. Act in a way that shows you have some God-sanity. Cut out the sin.You claim to be insane about Christ but your actions would give all the angels an excuse to give you side-eye and say ‘you know [insert name] be acting cray these days.’

The good thing about sanity is that it’s simple. It makes sense to revise before you take an exam. It makes sense to pray before you start your day. Sometimes the whole ‘what would Jesus do?’ sounds a bit daunting, but how about, what would you do if you could see Jesus watching out of the corner of your eye. I don’t need to break it to you that God watches your every move, not because he’s bored of preeing the rest of the population but because it’s part of the package of him dwelling on the inside of you.

If you want peace you’re going up have to go looking. Insane for God=acting with God-sanity. Just living right can cause your stresses to melt away. You know the good thing about God…ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and ye shall find. Amen.